Using homemade spectrometers to perform accurate measurements of discrete and continuous spectra

TL;DR

This paper evaluates homemade spectrometers' accuracy in measuring spectra, demonstrating they are suitable for educational purposes and can yield precise results like determining the Sun's temperature.

Contribution

It provides an assessment of homemade spectrometers' spectral resolution and accuracy, comparing them with standard lab spectroscopes to validate their educational utility.

Findings

Homemade spectrometers are sufficiently accurate in wavelength measurement.

They can be used by undergraduates to perform precise spectral measurements.

The spectrometers enable determination of the Sun's temperature.

Abstract

Homemade spectrometers are commonly used tools to analyze light sources and determine its physical characteristics. We perform an assessment of homemade spectrometers in terms of spectral resolution and accuracy in the determination of intensity, through the comparison of results with a spectroscope commonly used in the physics and chemistry labs. We found that the homemade spectrometer used is sufficiently accurate in wavelength, and can be used by undergraduate students to perform precise measurements as, for example, the spectrum of the Sun, leading to the determination of its temperature.